Atomic Dog

http://www.reuters.com/article/scien...68060320071018

Pretty scary stuff. I guess there's 20 athletes from a local highschool, where I live, in the hospital being treated for MRSA. Theory is it spread in the locker room.

I also have had one cousin just treated last month for a very severe case of MRSA...she became very ill and it wasn't looking good for a moment. But she's recoevering now.

Anybody else got tales of outbreaks or thoughts on this? Is this more hyped up media spun fearmongering or a real and imminent threat?

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Daxx

Must...resist...joke...


This is a serious threat. However I don't think its as serious as the media is making it out to be.

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machowner

It is, I had a class on it in college. There is only a couple of drugs left that knock these out. In severe cases there is only one drug that works. In a small amount of the severe cases the drugs do not work at all. Only being down to just one drug that will effective kill a infection in a serious problem. One kid in FL died from getting a scrap on his knee that he got on the sidewalk. Meaning that is no longer confined to hospitals and community activity centers.

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Gillespie

Unfortunately, these highly dangerous forms of bacteria are caused by our own medicine. Overprescription and overuse of antibiotics eventually create strains of bacteria resistant to whatever antibiotic traditionally used to cure it. Dump that "antibiotic" soap and "antibiotic" dish detergent and all that other crap and just use hot water and bleach. Kills everything. Basic hygiene is your best defense.

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Gogeta

It also improves shine and luster...

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|TG-4th| Gogeta

P8riot

I saw a bit on this last night. It is also a hot topic in my industry - being that we do some engineering for hospitals and whatnot.

Hot water and bleach is pretty much the answer - not to mean washing yourself with it - but the environment the bugs live in. A lot of places that went to anti-bac detergents for cleaning spaces really need to go back to much more effective bleach based product.

Here is a theory on superbugs for you. I am admitting up front I have done NO research to look into it.

Recently the Space Shuttle returned from the Intl. Space Station bringing back an experiment involving space-grown germs that cause various infections. The purpose was to find out if these germs in space would become stronger or weaker, or whatever. I caught a brief bit about the findings of the experiment being such that the bugs were significantly more potent in all aspects.

So - if there were a carrier of a germ, not showing signs of infection, say - an astronaut that is on board the ISS for 6 months. Returns to Earth still a carrier for a new strain of superstaph. Maybe our 'super-bugs' are from space - and not from anti-bac over-use?

Hrmmmmm...

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Age of Conan: Tharashk (Taxiarchos), Thaumiel (alt), guild Ars Tactika - Cimmeria

Tarenth

No, primarily these super bugs are caused by two things as stated before:

1. Over use of commercial anti-bacterials. Hell, we're even told on TV that these products will produce superbugs. When a disenfectant says "Will kill 99.99% of germs" its also silently saying "00.01% of germs will survive and be resistant/immune to the anti-bacterial agent". Those resistant bacteria don't scuttle off into a corner and die, they repopulate and serve as a practical experiment into evolution. Non-resistant bacteria die and resistant bugs reproduce, rinse and repeat.
2. Improper use of medicinal anti-biotics. When parents cave into children, people will die. When stupid people act stupid, people will die. In the same problem as the previous case, you need to take all of your prescribed antibiotic medicine when you are sick or the remaining bacteria will just reproduce and it will be more resistant having survived the first course. Just because you feel better doesn't mean its all gone. When a child or adult says "I don't need to take my antibiotics because I'm all better now" then its time to force feed those pills down their throat for the good of all of us.

I don't believe MSRA is the only bacteria that's getting 'superbug' status. I remember one of my biology professors talking about superbugs back in '98 and how they were resorting to dangerous highly toxic meds to treat resistant Pneumococcal which is a far scarier infection than MSRA as serious as it is. There were also some resistant strings of streptococcal floating around at one point, and considering how easy it is to get strep throat thats also scary.

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sordavie

We already have a good theory about where super bugs come from--natural selection. This is a better theory than super space bugs because it explains both why space bugs are significantly more potent as well as why the overuse of antibacterial agents creates more potent bugs. In both cases it's that the more resilient bugs survive the conditions to reproduce.

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Kerostasis

Its also worth noting that the human immune system is capable of handling superbugs just the same as normal bugs, since your automatic defenses weren't relying on high-tech antibacterials anyway. More often than not, your own immune system is all you need.

Whats scary about the super-bugs is that in those rare cases where your immune system isn't good enough on its own, you have very few backup plans. So if you're really worried about the super-bugs, work on keeping your immune system healthy!

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BigGaayAl

We all owe their existence to those sweet doctors that prescribe antibiotics (anti bacteria) for a flu (virus).
It is a problem in most countries with advanced medicine I bet. I'm pretty scared to go into hospitals these days. These bugs kill.

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.tritone.

I wash my hands when I get poopie on them. That's about it.
George Carlin said that's okay.

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Ferris Bueller

It really is a serious thing, and it's not the only "superbug" out there. I've seen numerous cases come through my ward, some made it and others didnt, entirely depending on the severity of the infection coupled with how long the person waited before seeking treatment. Bottom line is this: any wound or infection should be taken seriously. Bacteria are indiscriminant. They dont care if its stitches from surgery, a scraped elbow, a stubbed toe, a bullet wound, or whatever. If you get an injury and you see ANY signs of infection, seek medical help immediately. It might be a minor infection, but it also might save your life. It's nasty stuff fellas, you dont ever want to be exposed to this kind of infection.

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|TG-6th|Ferris Bueller

P8riot

Yeah.. on a more serious note that my previous post.

I picked up a nasty in my foot about 2 years ago in an area I'd had surgery on about 17 years ago. I had it checked out thinking it was just arthritis settling in. By the time I saw the doc, it had the two bad signs.. red and hot - infection. The PAIN was ungodly.

I spent the next 3 months, 90 minutes a day, everyday on an I.V. antibiotic cocktail.

There was no exterior sign of entry at all and we still don't know exactly what it was, but they were certain if it had spread lymphatic, it would have certainly been life threatening.

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Age of Conan: Tharashk (Taxiarchos), Thaumiel (alt), guild Ars Tactika - Cimmeria

sc1ence

I got a tiny pinprick of a scratch on my arm once while I was in college - from a tree or some random thing. I barely noticed it. Then about a day later, I woke up feeling woozy. I took a shower and noticed that the spot where the scratch was was reddish. I thought nothing of it. Within the course of the next 20 minutes, It swelled to the size of a golfball. By then it was too late. I was incoherent. I stumbled naked out of the shower and was sooooo feverish and delerious that I went to the bottom floor of my dorm which was concrete and layed down on it. I was found about 10 minutes later. I dont remember much after that. I somehow got into an ambulance and would up at the emergency room. I recall the doctors preparing to cut off my entire arm. I watched as they cut a huge 4 or 5 inch chunk out of the top of my forearm - they were panicking big time trying to find somone to give medical consent for a full amputation. They told me if it spreads past the arm into my chest I would die. They kept trying to squeze blood and puss down out of my now very swolen arm to the hole in my forearm.

No anesthetics and they were treating my arm like a naughty sausage filled with oozing hate...

They told me it was Streptococcus something or other. They pumped me full of massive amounts of antibiotics - I pulled through and they saved my arm. I have a funky scar and a bit of muscle missing - but to the causual observer it is fine.

I dont know if it was teh resistant type or just the normal type. either way, they said it was more aggressive than anythign they had seen.

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sordavie

ewwwww

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